A survey was carried out among dentists (D) and dental assistants (DA) of the public and the private sectors in the city of Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil, in order to a) evaluate the vaccine coverage as well as the effectiveness of the vaccination against hepatitis B; b) check for the presence of serological markers of the hepatitis B virus(HBV)infection; assess the use of individual protection equipments (IPE). The survey,involving 338 participants working in dentist private offices or in dental clinics, comprised 201 D (26 of the public sector and 175 of the private sector) and 137 DA(23 of the public sector and 114 of private practices). Individual survey questionnaires were used to gather information regarding the participants, the vaccination against hepatitis B, and the risk factors related to the HBV infection. Blood samples (8 ml) were collected to assess the following serological markers for the HBV infections: HBsAg, Anti-HBc, and Anti-HBs. All essays were done with the immunoenzimatic technique by the Serological Laboratory of the Hospital das Clinicas of the University of São Paulo Medical School, at Ribeirão Preto. A higher proportion of the D compared to the DA were vaccinated with three or more doses of the hepatitis B: 80.6% of the D (80.8% of the public sector and 80.6% of the private sector) but only 24,8% of the DA (82.6% of the public sector and 13,2% of the private sector). Among those vaccinated with three or more doses 84.3% (84.6% for D and 82.8% for DA) presented positive tests for the anti-HBs marker. Considering the whole population evaluated, the occurrence of serological markers for HBV infection was distributed as follows: HBsAg, 0.5% in D and zero in DA; anti-HBc, 9.5% in D (95% CI: 5.4% to 13.5%) and 2.9% in DA (95% CI: 0.1% to 5.7%); and anti-HBs, 78.1% in D (95% CI: 72.3% to 83.8%) and 29.9% in DA (95% CI: 22.2% to 37.6%). Most dentists make use of some IPE when treating patients: 98.0% wore gloves and 96.5% face masks. There was little difference in use of IPE between dentists working in the private and the public sectors: for the former 97.7% wore gloves, 96.0% face masks, 70.3% protective eyewear, 55.4% protective uniform, and 32.6% caps; for the later, 100% wore gloves and face masks, 88.5% protective uniform, 65.4% protective eyewear, and 30.8% caps. A high percentage of the DA also wore IPEs, although the numbers were lower for those of the private sector. Among the former group 100% wore gloves, 95.7% protective uniform, 78.3% face masks, 34.8% protective eyewear, and 17.4% caps. The corresponding figures for the DA of the private dental offices and clinics were: 96.5% wore gloves, 37.7% face masks, 28.1% protective uniform, 11.4% protective eyewear, and 10.5% caps. A small percentage (3.5%) of the DA working in the private sector did not report the use of any IPE. The study showed that the occurrence of serological markers for infection with HBV in dental professionals is similar to that of the population as a whole, and that part of the professionals, especially the DAs, neglect to secure protection by active immunization and use of IPEs.